10 success factors for online sales

1. Abundant productinformation. Product Information is vital for your webshop, marketplaces and other sales outlets. What is to be understood by product information? Think for instance of a logic product name, GTIN/EAN code, (technical) specifications, description of the product, pricing and images. Include also information about available stock, delivery times and shipping methods. There are six categories in product information which you can expand from the core. Productdata is of good quality if it is complete, coherent and consistent. The perks of abundant product information are for instance more traffic, an increased conversion rate and a decreased return rate.
   
   
2. Online marketing and marketplaces. As soon as the webshop is live, the orders will come in automatically. Right? Unfortunately not. So let’s get busy with SEO, SEA and marketplaces! SEO and SEA requires expert knowledge. In case you do not feel like or have the time to dive in deeper into these concepts, it might be a good idea to hire a specialist. To offer your products via a marketplace has its many upsides. You will reach more potential customers without having to put in extra time or money. No wonder that about 33% of retailers are offering their products via marketplaces. One condition is however that your webshop is linked to a connector (such as EffectConnect), to make sure that your inventory is always up to date.
   
   
3. Up to date inventory. One of the many flaws with webshops is that inventory is not up to date. When a customer sees that a product is available online, but is missing from the warehouse, it can lead to you having to sell ‘no’ to your customer (and risking a bad review). This of course needs to be avoided at all cost. An additional sales channel also means that your inventory needs to be customized to this channel. This is achieved by a real-time integration between the webshop and the integrator system. An up to date (online) inventory status prevents unsatisfied customers and paves the way for maximum growth.
   
   
4. Efficient payment methods. In the business to customer sector it is common to pay with either iDEAL or creditcard. Although there is a significant growth in payments with Afterpay. In the business to business sector it is a common practice to pay with invoices. Select the Payment Service Providers that match with your company’s and clients needs. Whatever payment method you choose, make the checkout as swift and easy as possible. Preferably use a one page checkout. When the checkout is easy, there is a greater chance of customers actually buying your products.
   
   
5. Shipping information and costs. Depending on the destination of your shipment you might utilise a different logistic partner. This can depend on the weight, volume or order total of the shipment. In terms of shipping the customer always desires two things: a deliverytime that fits with his or her schedule and to know the costs upfront. Always mention the delivery costs on your webshop. Expensive delivery costs are not necessarily a bad thing, provided that it is clearly communicated on your website. No matter how complex it will get behind the scenes, always be clear in communicating to your customer.
   
   
6. Simple navigation. Convenience is key to your customers. Goes for both the serious as the funshoppers. Make sure that your webshop has a logical navigation and a searchbar. Avoid menus with 15 categories and 40 subcategories. Redirecting your customer too much on your website will cause a significant decrease in the conversion rate. This can be solved by implementing productfilters instead of an extensive category structure. View your webshop through the eyes of your customer and if necessary consult an expert.
   
   
7. Quality marks and reviews. To create a positive online reputation mention your companydetails on your webshop.Having a physical address and phone number creates a feeling of trust with your customer. Display logos of quality marks. About 7 out of 10 shoppers feel that a quality mark is important when online shopping. The same goes for reviews, both in the B2C as the B2B field. Nobody wants a bad review, but if there are no reviews on your webshop this will cause suspicion with your customer. Honest reviews are always the best. Well known review partners are The Feedback Company, Kiyoh and Trustpilot.
   
   
8. Smooth orderprocessing. A growing number of sales channels can be cause for confusion. Orders coming in via the webshop, marketplaces and e-mail, physical store and potentially other merchants. With all of these sales channels it is extra important to use a clear workflow. Fill out all of the information in one central spot and do so accordingly. Duplicating the data into Excel takes in a lot of time and there is an increased chance of making mistakes. An ordermanagementsystem (OMS), such as Logic4 ERP Software gathers all the people, processes and partners involved to fulfill the order together.
   
   
9. Efficient returnprocess. In the Netherlands about 9% of all orders are being returned (Emerce). The handling of returns can be done in three ways: avoid it, simplify it and resell it. Avoiding returns starts with extensive information on products, inventory, delivery and returnpolicy. To simplify the returnprocess for the customer try to use an online returnportal, allow your customers to return the product in your store and make use of an extended return date of about 30 to 90 days. Conclusively you can resell the items via your webshop or the marketplaces.
   
   
10. Integrated sales channels and backoffice. With so many active sales channels, there is a good chance of processes being mixed up and that information is hard to find. The final successfactor is therefore a good integration of webshop and backoffice. Is your software suited to send and receive real-time data from your webshop to the marketplaces? Is your PIM system able to distinguish options, varieties and assembled products from one another? Is your accounting system smart enough to process partial deliveries and collective invoices? These are all aspects to take into consideration when choosing a software package.
    
    

About Logic4

Tying together 5 or more systems together never makes anyone happy. However, a system that integrates the on- and offline sales with the administration and logistics seamlessly together does. The Logic4 Commerce Suite is an all-in-one package for wholesalers and retailers to which the webshop and the ERP firmware are fully integrated. With the help of the EffectConnect plugin you will also be able to make use of an extensive network of marketplaces. For more information head over to www.logic4.nl .